Village Schools of the Bible

A PROMISE: GLORIOUS, YET FRIGHTENING
A Study of 2 Corinthians 5:9-10,
by Max Frazier, Jr.

"So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad."

2 Corinthians 5:9-10

Have you ever waited with excitement and yet with apprehension for something special to happen? Have you ever longed for something to occur and yet dreaded it when it came? I think of that when I think of moving. There is a lot of excitement over the anticipation of new adventures, and yet there is the fear of making the new adjustments.

Paul has just finished describing his intense desire for that glorious resurrection body which awaited him (2 Corinthians 5:1-7. (See "A Glorious Hope Which Awaits Us"). Paul would say, "I am sure of heaven. I am sure of a glorious body. I am sure because of what Christ has done. I am sure because of the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life. But this does not mean that I live in a flower bed or at the end of the rainbow. I have only one desire and that is to please God."

Verse 9 is the link between Paul's desire and the promise found in verse 10. Verse 9 describes the way we are to act while in this life because we know there is a day of judgment awaiting us.

Paul's Desire While Waiting for the Glorious Body (verse 9)

Paul begins by writing, "So we make it our goal to please him..." The word, translated in the NIV as "goal" is translated in the KJV as "labor" and in the NASB as "ambition." It is the same word as found in Romans 15:20, "It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation." It is the same word found in 1 Thessalonians 4:11, "Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you."

When we perceive all that God has done for us and all that we have in Christ, should we not live and love out of honor for him? We should strive to please those we love. We should delight to do the little things for God because we love Him. If I am teaching a Village school class, I want to be the very best teacher possible. Why? Because I love Him. If I am ushering, I want to do it with all the friendliness in the world. Why? Because I love Him. God does not want us to be lazy, shoddy servants. We will want to honor God in everything.

What was Paul's goal? What was his ambition? It was to please God. Obedience is the duty of each Christian, but pleasing God means more than mere obedience. It is going the extra mile. I remember when our daughter was asked to straighten up the toys in her room. Now she had a most difficult time keeping things picked up in her room. ( I must add that she outgrew that stage and now is an immaculate housekeeper). To my amazement, she not only straightened up her toys but actually cleaned her entire room. Now that was being well-pleasing.

Paul wrote to the Galatian believers, "Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ." Here on earth we often become too man-conscious instead of God-conscious. What motivated Paul to strive to please God always in everything which he did? I believe that answer is found in the following verse.

Paul's Motivation Because of the Judgment Seat of Christ (verse 10)

Paul wrote often of the coming judgment. To the Romans he wrote, "You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. It is written: 'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, "Every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.' So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way" (Romans 14:10-13). He wrote to the Corinthians, "If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames" (1 Corinthians 3:12-15).

Every day of our Christian life must be related to that coming day of judgment. The Early Church Father, Chrysostom, wrote, Let us then imagine Christ's judgment seat to be present now and reckon each one of us with his own conscience, and account the Judge to be already present, and everything to be revealed and brought forth. For we must not merely stand, but also be manifested. Do you not blush? Are you not dismayed?

In this verse Paul shares with us several truths concerning the coming day of judgment. First, that day is a certainty and not just a possibility. Paul says, "For we must..." This is a definite appointment on the calendar of heaven. It is an event which you and I cannot avoid. Why is this? It is the place where right will be vindicated and wrong condemned. How many believers have suffered because they were misjudged or misunderstood by someone else? How many believers have been in the trenches with no recognition? These are not the people who make the headlines, or those who speak at seminars, or those who write books and are interviewed on television programs. These are the people whom the world knows nothing about.

In commenting on this verse in his book, Blessings Out of Buffetings, Dr. Alan Redpath writes, "In other words, Paul would say to us, 'Silence that critical tongue, for we must appear before the judgment seat of Christ. Stop that hobby of judging another, which has become the practice of so many lives, because Christ Himself is at the door. And remember, the one we are judging is our brother. Let the world condemn him if it will, but simply because we are intimately related in Christ let us get alongside him and love him, or at least overlook his failures without seeking to condemn him for his faults. Let no man judge another because one day, in the light of the judgment we have passed on others, every one of us must stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Silence then the censorious tongue. Cast the burdens of the misjudged motive and the misunderstood action at the feet of the Lord and leave them until that day when He shall vindicate, for vengeance is His and He will repay. Such is the certainty of the fact the we must appear before the judgment seat of Christ." (Pages 85-86)

Secondly, the judgment seat is for everyone who believes. Paul writes, "For we must all...." The very spiritual Christian and the very carnal believer will be there. The very mature Christian and the very immature believer will be there. The one with the one talent as well as the one with the ten talents will be there. There is no weakness which will excuse us from it.

Thirdly, Christ is the authority on that day. "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ...." Christ is the one who sees the true thoughts and intents of the heart. We read in 1 Samuel 16:7 about God, "But the Lord said to Samuel (remember Samuel was seeking to anoint someone to take the place of Saul, and he was very impressed by the stature of Jesse's eldest son), 'Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." Christ will make no mistakes. The judgment will be true, final and very just. There will be no court of appeals and there will be no cries of discrimination. It is the Lord's Court and He will be the judge.

Finally, not only will everyone be there, but each will give his or her own accounting. Paul wrote, For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one..." The accounting is to be given not by a group but by each of us as individuals. It will be just you and God. It will be just me and God. The question is not of the quantity of the works which we have done, but of the quality of the person we have been. Not only will our deeds be weighed, but also our every thought and the intentions with which we have labored for God. What an exciting, yet apprehensive day that will be!

What will occur on that day? Paul relates two events that each of us will participate in on that day. First, each of our works will be judged. God will judge whether they have been good or bad. Second, rewards will be distributed to those who have earned them. So often we hear that we should not be motivated in ministry by the desire for rewards. Paul had no problems with that idea. In fact, because the rewards are given to those who are pleasing to God, we should aspire to earn as many as possible.

The Bible gives us at least five different rewards (they are called crowns). First, there is the incorruptible crown for disciplined living (1 Corinthians 9:25). Second, there is the crown of rejoicing for those who have faithfully witnessed for Christ (1 Thessalonians 2:19). Third, there is the crown of righteousness awarded to those who have longed for Christ's appearing (1 Timothy 4:18). Fourth, there is the crown of life for those who endure trials and sufferings (James 1:12). And finally, there is the crown of glory for faithfulness in service (1 Peter 5:4).

Yes, there is coming a day of judgment for each of us. But we have time to prepare ourselves to meet the Judge. We have the opportunity now of getting our rooms not only straightened out, but in many cases, totally cleansed as well. They we can say with John, "even so come quickly, Lord Jesus."

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